Pokemon and Swing: An Odyssey
by TheAutumSage
Summary: In 1920s era Unova a budding chef leaves home and plans to circle the region looking for the perfect place to set up his restaurant, Along the way he meets a unique dame that dresses similar to a Gothitelle. Crime Syndicates practically run the region with the corrupt government in the palm of their hands. That doesn't stop our boy from living his dream, no, he wants to be better
1. The Prologue (actually the prologue)

Chapter 1: Prologue

Narrator: The morning sun shines brightly over Anville Town the year is August 21st 1911 in Unova so much has been changing in the last 50 years and it's far from over trains and railroads begin popping up everywhere at the command of head conductor brothers Ringo and Clement. The center trade hub of Unova, Castelia City, has shown major industrial advancement over the years and is now a bustling megalopolis, a melting pot of different cultures and people surely to enrich the lives of anyone passing through. Luxurious automobiles make their way onto the scene as only the wealthy can afford them creating the ultimate status symbol of modern world. War with rivaling regions have come to an end and Unova is easing its way into an era of peace and prosperity oh joyous days! But that matters not to the mind of 11 year old Arphelius Felton, Pokemon chef in training, all that matters to him is the sweet smelling aroma of pancakes his mother makes and the succulent siren call of sausages frying on a pan evident of his dashing father rouses him from his slumber the sound of soft saxophone music fills his youthful ears as he gives a mighty stretch and yawn signaling the start of another glorious day.

Although he may not know it young Arphelius grows weary of the everyday peace and quiet stagnant nature of his life as he gazes at himself in the mirror in it he sees a spark in his eye, the inner flame of his heart yearns for the dangers of adventure, the rush of battle, the lion's roar brewing inside of him slamming at the cage to be set free! Oh! He wishes for a journey, and not just any cut and dry vacation he wishes for an odyssey, a thrilling adventure calling forth all of his knowledge and forcing him to think bigger, think grander, dare I say it? Think outside of the box? In his own weary reflection he unknowingly sees all of his potential our young hero takes another mighty stretch as he splashes water over his face dousing out the flame of adventure, but fret not the flame is a tricky mistress it is ever growing and calling in the deepest part of his mind, a whisper, yet it beckons so sweetly so tenderly that he has no choice but to follow all of it could he his! But alas breakfast is ready.


	2. Chapter 2: Home Grown

Chapter 2: Home Grown

"Alright Arphelius I'm gonna chop the wood and you prepare dinner think you can manage?" my father calls out to me in his deep southern voice "You'd think after all the cookin I've been doin you'd think I'd have it down by now dad" I reply prepping the meat for dinner "yeah I know, but it's still *grunt*good to ask son*grunt*you never know what'll happen" he states between chops. I finish my preparations for the ingredients as my mother walks into the house with a basket full of laundry "oh son… tomorrow's your big day, how do you feel?" my mother caresses the right side of my face she has that distant look in her eye I can tell that she's recalling a memory of when I was younger I was barely at her hip and new I'm a whole head taller than her, not that that'll stop her from trying to whoop me when I step outta line but I take the good with the bad. "Ma not gonna lie I am a little nervous I gotta say I'm circling the region!" confiding in my mother has always been easy for me, not saying that I can't confide in my father it's just that with my mother it's easier. "The house is going to be a lot more empty when you leave your father was talking about it all this week, he's worried about you Arphelius put him at ease over dinner will you" finishing her thought my father comes into the house an arm full of wood "will this be enough? Or are we gonna need more?" my father asks a little out of breath his age is starting to catch up with him I guess.

Over dinner we each take turns telling the other about how our day was and various other topics once the pleasantries were out of the way we get into the meat of what we all really want to talk about: my inevitable departure. "Now son you're of that age now where a boy must take that journey to find himself and become a man, but at the same time if things get to rough for you and your stuck without much options you can always come home. Ya hear?" the amount of concern is palpable in his voice I can tell that part of him wants me to stay home and the other part wants me to see the world for myself and have new experiences. "You came early into this world Arphelius we were scared that you weren't going to make it and look at you now… my big strong boy I'm going to miss you" my mother says tears are welling up in her eyes. "Awwww ma if you start cryin then imma start cryin you know I can't stand to see you cry mama…" I can feel the tears well up in my eyes as well my mother gets up from the table and hugs me, that's it here comes the waterworks from me and her "we're going to miss you Arphelius, but I am happy that you are leaving a man ought to find his place in the world but don't get lost in it you hear? I want you to promise me that you won't get lost out there it's a dangerous place but I trust your judgement you've got a good head on your shoulder it surely didn't come from your father*chuckle*but take care of yourself" my mother ends the hug she gives me a conflicted glance before she sits back down in her seat.

We finish dinner without further conversation I retreat back to my room to which is mostly empty save for a large open camping backpack rests in the center of my bed, "the sooner I finish packing the sooner I can get to bed and the sooner tomorrow will come" I say to myself I can't help but feel the anxiety rise up within me "I am going to be leaving home circumnavigating my way across the region hopefully finding a place to lay down some roots I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't scared it's a big world out there and I'm just one guy can I actually do it? I don't even have a starting point the only train that comes here goes to Nimbasa City I am already familiar with Nimbasa so I guess I can start there and head north I guess to Driftveil and continue from there and I can end my journey at Nuvema although there isn't much there based on what I heard it's a quiet rural town so that seems like a good place to end, then I'll have to double back and head on home hopefully before I make my way home I can find a nice place to set up shop" I manage to close the zipper on my camping bag as I hoist it around my shoulders getting a feel for the weight that I am going to be carrying along with me it's the right mix of heavy and light I can hear the light clanging sounds of my cast iron skillets banging against one another from the force of me swinging the bag on my back

"those shouldn't be too much of a problem, nothing a little twine can't fix" setting the bag on the floor near the foot of my bed I turn to go downstairs to go fetch the twine I need to tie the skillets down so that they won't bang and make noise. I make my way to the top of the staircase but the voice of my father stops me in my tracks "I'm scared for the boy Winona" my father says his voice is shaky like he's on the verge of tears, "William you shouldn't be he's a good boy people will like him you see how popular he is here in Anville he won't have no shortage of people wanting to help him" my mother comforts my father the only time I've ever heard my parents call each other by their first names was when the situation was serious and they needed to have a talk. "I know Winona, but every time I look at him all I see is that young boy barely clinging to life as I held him in my arms…" my father begins to cry the very emotion in his voice can shake the heavens if he so wanted to I find myself tearing up at the words he said, "But when I see him now I can't help but feel proud of my son I no longer see the frail baby he once was but an eager young man ready to take on the world and I can't help but feel content and feel that he's going to be alright when he leaves" I see him get up from the chair he was sitting on and tenderly hug mama silently telling her that he doesn't want her to leave either she returns the hug as the soft sounding sobs fill the quiet house. Wiping tears from my eyes I make my way downstairs my parents turn their heads to me knowing that I heard every word they said I open my arms as they pull me into their loving embrace.

I wish this moment could last forever...


	3. Departure

Chapter 3: Departure

After having overhearing my parents heart-to-heart and then joining in a heartfelt hug I leave to go get some rest in order to get ready for the big day in a couple of hours but when I get to bed my parent's conversation runs through my head especially my father opening up about his worries and crying that impacted me the most because I rarely see him cry, not because to him it shows weakness, but because he's very stoic and strong, like a Golurk, yet caring father so when I heard him break down it was like an eye opener for me driving home the point that I am going to be leaving home and that my father loves me with all his heart and then some. Wiping the tears from my eye I make a silent promise to myself that not only will I travel around the region for a place to start my restaurant, but I am doing this to not let my parents down, to show them that there is no need to worry about me and that I'll come home with a great smile on my face and brimming with good news… but for now *yawn* I got to get some sleep, so much to do tomorrow…

*The Next Day*

I awake with a start as if my body was telling me "Get up already! Time's a wasting!" I jump out of bed and quickly make my way downstairs my father is drinking a cup of coffee while reading the Daily Rufflet my mother is drinking a cup of tea and reading a book "Morning Mom, Morning Dad!" I exclaim to which my father looks at me from the top of the newspaper "Good morning son, I take it you slept well?" "Only like a baby Munna, today's the day" I reply barely able to contain myself "well since it's your big day and all I decided to make breakfast this morning it's on the stove it'll fill you up for the long train ride to Nimbasa City" says my mother looking up from her book "really thanks mom I'll go get dressed then I'm going to be back to eat" I retort a goofy smile is plastered onto my face as I can't believe that this day came so fast it feels like yesterday I was only 16 when I began planning my route across the region, and the Pokemon I was going to catch man 4 years later I am beginning to live that dream it's so surreal. Looking through the remnants of my closest I look for an outfit to wear today "hmmm what to wear, what… to…wear… ah here they are!" picking out a light blue button up shirt and a beige sweater vest with a blue diamond pattern stitched across, a pair of khaki pants, brown socks, and a pair of brown boots because I am going to be doing A LOT of walking.

After getting dressed I walk back downstairs my father hands me 20 pokeballs among them is a moonball "I want you to catch some Pokemon that you'll think will help you on your way around the region, while I don't expect you to do much battling, but I do want to see the team you can come up with for when you return. I will want to see the fruits of your labor Arphelius because I wanna battle you that'll be your final test" he holds out a pokeball of his own and shows it to me "is that a challenge **_old man_**?" I reply a competitive spark flaring up within me "Damn straight _**little boy**_ " he replies the seriousness in his voice lights a fire in the pit of my stomach "I'm going to miss you dad" I say pulling him into a hug he returns it "Imma miss you too son" he pats me on the back as we end the hug "Boys will be boys, but if Willy's battling, then I'm damn sure battling as well" says my mother standing from the table and pulls out a pokeball from her apron pocket "Woah mom you too?! If that's the case then I had better get a team put together fast, but I don't think I'm going to lose to some old geezers like you two" I joke as the kitchen erupts into laughter "you're in for a world of hurt Arphelius" jokes my mother, but her warning couldn't come any clearer "that's where you're wrong ma you don't know what I am bringing to the table, I'm the wild card I've seen your teams already" I reply a smug grin snaked its way onto my face

"We'll settle this for when you come back Arphelius" says my father placing his hands on my mother's shoulders as if he's dousing the blazing inferno that is my mother it seems to work, "alright, alright I'm going to get my bag and then I'll get some breakfast then I am out" making my way back up the stairs for one final time I grab my packed bag and go downstairs to set it by the door. Filling my plate with omelets, hot cakes, hash browns, and bacon I sit at the table and immediately dig into the food "it'll be a long while before I can eat mom's cooking again so I'll savor every bite" I say my mom smiles but before I realize it I'm already halfway through my plate! I chuckle to myself and continue eating. Pulling out the train schedule from my bag I see that the next train comes in 45 minutes, "that gives me enough time to check out the surrounding forest for my first partner and I know just the ball to use too" placing the schedule on top of my bag I put the 20 pokeballs into my bag but I keep the moonball out "just in case I run into my first partner" I put the ball into my left pocket and the folded schedule into my right pocket. Feeling that my time home is drawing to a close I pick up my weighty bag with a might heave and place it on my back "Mom, Dad! It's time that I leave, I'm going to make my mark on the world!" I exclaim my mother and father give me one last farewell hug and wish me luck on my journey I say my farewells and close the door behind me "this is it… this is where I begin" I look up to the sky for what for what seemed like an eternity, watching the dark blue hue transition into a light blue. Taking my first step off of my porch all the memories of my childhood surge through my mind leading me all the way to where I am at currently "the first step of the journey is often the hardest one, but it's the most important as well…"


	4. Sweet as Honey

Chapter 4: Sweet as Honey

Feeling that I have spent enough time standing on the porch of my parents' home I look at my watch and see that I have spent about 20 minutes reminiscing "no time like the present" I tell myself as I begin to walk Anville Town, the town is practically empty since it's so early in the morning everyone must be asleep. Making my way into the surrounding forest I begin to think of the Pokemon that I may encounter and ways I could possibly capture one seeing as how I don't have single Pokemon of my own. The sound of rushing water interrupts my train of thought as I approached a small stream, but off in the distance I can hear faint roars, "oh yeah Ursaring frequent this area maybe I could… no that's WAY too risky I don't want to die on my first 20 minutes of my journey perhaps I can go for something smaller" I begin travelling in the opposite direction of the roars for safe measures taking in all the sights of the forest in the early morning with the trees slightly shaking in the breeze makes it feel like it is alive… in a human sense… like it is singular breathing entity.

I absentmindedly began meandering in my path through the woods and I find myself in a clearing unknown to me "where am I? As much as I played in the woods as a child I haven't come across this clearing before" looking around for any discernable clues as to where I located in the forest I see a Combee beehive in the distant "ok I know where I am now as Combee hives always point towards fields of flowers, but in this case it points towards the florist in town" walking towards the hive a sudden dip in the path sends me tumbling down towards the ground I instinctively brace my hands in front of me to protect me from the fall. The sound of crunching leaves fills the air as a sudden warm feeling envelops right hand "what is this…? Is this *sniff* honey?! Aw Shit!" scrambling to my feet I manage to propel myself a few meters forward bursting into a full sprint as that symphony of dazed angered buzzing resounds behind me. Bounding through the forest I begin looking behind me to see whether or not the colony of Combee were still chasing me only to my horror a lone figure rises from the swirling chaos that surrounds her "QUEN! VESPIQUEN!" roars the Vespiquen judging by her small size she seems to be a really young queen or she just evolved, but that doesn't stop me from running though.

"QUEN! QUEN! VESPI!" hisses the young Vespiquen as her subjects that were once swirling around her are now darting towards me in a raging inferno of agitated buzzing. The buzzing catches up to me and my desperate attempt at an escape when I slam into a furry wall "Ursa?" growls the confused voice as it stands up to full height of well over 7ft an Ursaring and two small Teddiursa hide behind their mother who see the approaching swarm of angry Combee "RRRROOOOAAAARRRR" the mother Ursaring unleashes a mighty roars sending out shockwaves scattering the once angry swarm of Combee sending them scurrying back to their Vespiquen "Holy Shit…" I utter completely dumbfounded at what occurred in front of me, yeah I heard stories of strong Ursaring being able to repel a swarm of Combee and Beedrill by its roar alone, but it's a completely different experience when you witness firsthand. Deeming the situation over the mother Ursaring haunches down to check on her babies "now would be a good time to get out of here and catch the train, that is if I still have time" feeling something licking my right hand I turn to see one of the baby Teddiursa licking the honey off of my hand "hey now shoo shoo I have to go and you're holding me up" pulling myself off the ground the baby Teddiursa cries out in protest alerting the mother who just now notices my presence

"Hey I just want to thank you for saving me back there heh heh *nervous sweating* please don't hurt me" I plead barely able to move when a giant paw pins me to the ground *nervous sweating intensifies* "Ursa…" growls Ursaring opening her giant maw showcasing all of her stalagmite like teeth "Teddi! Teddiursa!" scolds the tiny bear to its mother surprisingly the Ursaring's paw lightens its heavy weight on my chest and allows me to stand up the Teddiursa hugs and nuzzles my leg "well it's been nice but I really have to go, things to do and what not" I take a step away and the Teddiursa that was hugging my leg cries out in protest once again "what do you want me to do?" I question, but I realize that it can't understand me and that I am wasting my time, so I decide to pick up the Teddiursa and place it next to her mother and I begin to walk away only to have a weight clamber onto my camping pack "Teddiursa!" it folds its arms and huffs out, kind of like how a stubborn child would disobey their parents, "You can't stay with me your family is waiting for you" I take off my pack and lift the small bear off of my bag only for it to cling to my dirty sweater vest "Ursa!" shaking its head it doesn't seem like it's willing to let go of me anytime soon "ok I give up, do you want to come with me?" I cave in Teddiursa looks up at me and nods "ok but first I need you to get down"

The Teddiursa complies I put my pack back on and fish out my moon ball "here can you tap this button right here for me?" the Teddiursa gladly pushes the button on the moon ball a red beam zaps the baby bear and pulls it into the ball it shakes one time in my hand and produces a small 'poof' sound letting me know that Teddiursa has been captured. I release Teddiursa from its pokeball and it obediently stands next to me the Ursaring and remaining Teddiursa which now rests on her back turn around and head deeper into the woods "well it's me and you now Teddiursa what do you say? Want to head to the train station? We can get some food there" I say and the Teddiursa nods its head as we make our way out of the forest.

It has definitely been an interesting morning.


End file.
